Page 23 of Christmas All the Way

‘The Santa Express,’ old Jasper suggested. ‘I’ve got a mate who has a model railway, we could set it up to run around the green.’

Helen beamed. ‘Brilliant. We’ll consider all of these and look into the costs and logistics.’ She glanced enquiringly at Father Jonathan. ‘I believe our funds are in a healthy state, thanks to fundraising at Easter and the summer fete?’

He nodded. ‘Very healthy. We can afford to push the boat out a little should we need to.’

‘And of course, I need hardly remind you that success breeds success,’ Helen continued. ‘The more people who are drawn in to enjoy our displays, the greater the word-of-mouth reach and the more money flows into local businesses. I’m sure I don’t need to remind you that many of us are feeling the pinch this year – a successful Christmas campaign feels more important than ever. It boosts morale and business, which is a win-win.’

Alongside Keeley, Leila nodded vigorously and looked slightly more cheerful, and Keeley was reminded that she ought to let Helen know about the plan to open Juniper Cottage during the evenings in December. It shouldn’t cause any problems, and the village committee had always been very supportive of the cottage, occasionally donating funds to help keep the building and garden in good repair, so it made sense to keep them in the loop.

‘As well as all that, there’s village pride on the line,’ Gavin said, leaning forward in his seat. ‘We want to win, don’t we? We want to be the best!’

Enthusiastic responses filled the air, with one or two members of the audience being moved to cheer.

Helen held up a hand to appeal for quiet. ‘But we do have an additional complication. As you know, one or two villages in the area have entered the competition in the past but have never really caused us any concern – that may be about to change. It appears that Flaxwood held a village meeting earlier this week and they intend to mount a rival display, in the hope of stealing our crown. Rumour has it that Jesse Bairstow, of Ruggles Garden Centre, has staged a coup and taken control of the village council. Ruggles is said to be sponsoring their displays.’ Her gimlet gaze swept the hall. ‘All of which means we might have a serious competitor, right on our doorstep, so keep those good ideas coming.’

More chatter broke out. Leila whistled. ‘Ruggles really know how to do Christmas. If they’re masterminding Flaxwood’s display, it’s going to be hard to beat.’

Keeley frowned, remembering that Ivy had also mentioned something about a son who had moved back to the village. ‘Do you know much about Jesse?’

‘Not really,’ Leila said, wrinkling her nose with the effort of remembering. ‘He went off to be something in the City. Not sure why he’s suddenly come back, unless it’s to take over the family business. His dad must be getting on a bit now.’

Which would explain the push to put Flaxwood on the map in terms of Christmas, Keeley thought. Winning Britain’s Most Christmassy Village could only reflect well on the garden centre. Perhaps he had ambitions to grow the business.

Helen spoke again. ‘As usual, we’ll be establishing a number of subcommittees in the coming weeks, to manage the various aspects of our campaign such as publicity, stage management and retailer liaison. If you’d like to join one, make your way to the front at the end of the meeting.’

Jasper put his hand in the air. ‘What’s happening with the electrics? Last year, three of the food stalls lost power and couldn’t serve anything hot.’

Gavin nodded. ‘I’m aware of that. Paul the sparky undertook a major overhaul for us in May and replaced anything that might cause us issues this year. We’re in good shape now, right, Paul?’

The electrician stood up. ‘All sorted. I replaced the old wiring and fuse boxes, as well as upping the capacity. Should be fine for our needs.’

‘Thank you, Paul,’ Helen said. ‘Anything else?’

Questions were raised about parking, which had been an issue in previous years when the weather in the lead-up to December had been too wet to allow parking on a nearby field. Keeley listened with more interest than usual; parking problems might well impact Juniper Cottage this year but it sounded as though the committee had everything in hand. ‘Potts Farm have generously offered us the use of their yard,’ Helen answered, with a grateful nod at the farmer in the front row. ‘I’m told it can accommodate up to fifty vehicles, as long as people park sensibly.’

‘Which means we’ll be looking for stewards to manage that nearer to the time,’ Gavin put in. ‘Come and see me if you want to unleash your inner traffic warden and I’ll add you to the rota.’

The farm was a sensible choice, Keeley thought – only a few minutes’ walk from the village, the route served by wide pavements that would allow families to navigate the distance safely. It was also at the opposite end to Juniper Cottage, which would please Brian. All the same, she made a mental note to email Helen first thing in the morning. It might even be a good idea to remind Xander about the competition. Juniper Cottage had never played a prominent role in Freezy Tye’s bids to win Britain’s Most Christmassy Village but that was because decorating the house for Christmas had been a low-key affair, as well as the fact that it was shut by the time visitors arrived to admire the lights each evening. This year was going to be different and she suspected Xander would see an opportunity to use Freezy Tye’s success as another springboard to raise Eliza’s profile.

After the meeting had drawn to a close, Keeley turned down an invitation to the pub from Leila and made her way home instead. The rain had stopped, lacing the cool night air with the pungent scent of damp earth, and a full moon was slipping in and out from behind the remaining clouds. Silvery puddles gleamed under the streetlamps and lit windows glowed invitingly as she passed them. Before long, the houses would be bright with fairy lights and the green would be a hive of festive fun. She glanced towards Juniper Cottage, half lit by the moonlight, and she detoured to snap a picture. Critically, she examined the result and was pleased by the play of shadows across the windows. Perhaps it was even good enough to show Xander. She’d got into the habit of scrolling through the Juniper Cottage Instagram feed since he’d taken over the content and she had to admit the trustees’ faith had been well placed. The account had almost nine thousand followers now and the number of likes and comments had rocketed too, exactly as Xander had promised they would. Her memory circled back to the evening they’d decorated the cottage for Christmas, when she’d been too ungracious to tell him how magical he’d made everything appear, but the recollection caused a sudden shiver of anticipation to chase down Keeley’s spine. As much as she enjoyed autumn’s gentle transition and tried hard to stay present in the change of season, she couldn’t help looking forward to the final months of the year.

She had a feeling this Christmas was really going to deliver.

CHAPTER EIGHT

’When it comes to falling in love, a sensible woman makes sure she cushions her heart.’

The Mistress of Pendennis, ELIZA NORTON

‘Excuse me, you wouldn’t happen to have any bubblegum-pink ostrich feathers, would you?’

Grace looked up from tidying the bolts of fabric to see a blonde woman in her early twenties standing before her. She gazed expectantly at Grace through thick black eyelashes, her jaws moving rhythmically as she chewed, and tapped long taupe fingernails against the Chanel logo on the mobile phone case she held. ‘Ostrich feathers?’ Grace repeated, mentally running through the Secret Santa aisles. ‘There’s a box next to the Nutcracker displays but I think they’re white.’

The woman pouted. ‘White’s no good. It’s for a baby shower, see.’

‘Oh, right,’ Grace said, frowning. In her admittedly limited experience, white was a popular choice for baby showers.

‘They’re revealing the baby’s gender,’ the woman explained, clearly realising Grace had no idea what she meant. Her gaze became pitying. ‘So it has to be pink. Hot pink, not pastel. Because she’s having a girl.’